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POPSThe key to oil independence is a new electrical grid It seems that with alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar, the United States has the potential means to substantially reduce our dependence on oil - especially once plug-in cars are on the market. But until we substantially upgrade our nation's electrical grid with modern technology that will enable the energy created by these sources to be transmitted intelligently around the county, their impact will be limited. It's going to take a greater commitment from Congress to jump start this. Making it happen will provide a huge boost to our economy, environment and political leverage with the Middle East, Russia, Venezuela and more.
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POPSThe Clipmarks web site is re-born! Over the next several days we'll continue adding some key additional features. We hope you all enjoy the new site. If you encounter any problems or have suggestions, please email us at support@clipmarks.com.
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POPSSpace Experts Call for ‘Fewer Astronauts, More Robots’ The suggestion sure makes a lot of economical sense. Resources should be focused to develop better technologies to carry load into orbit and beyond, because this is the real bottle neck of space exploration as of now. On the other hand, we cannot overlook the fact that sending men and women to space, ignites the imagination and inspires the coming generations. Space is the next frontier of adventure and mystery. The myth and the story are not less important than the economical aspect.
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POPSNew Memory Technologies Considering the recent advances in Brain-Machine interface, and the development of new neural implants, it is quite clear that Memory management is only the tip of the iceberg, I definitely agree with D.Peletier that the main effect of these new technologies will be to vastly improve our wellbeing
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POPSNano-Solar Power -Will it Be the Next Revolutionary Technology? Not that the technology is perfect. The system can absorb energy very well, but that's no good to anyone until they work out a way to harvest it from the sheet - when you're dealing with a hyper-complex web of millions of units oscillating at trillions of cycles per second, you can't just solder copper wires to the ends and call them plus and minus. This isn't a mistake or a weakness in the concept though; it's an issue because no-one has ever done this before. You know, the kind of thing that happens with cutting edge invention.
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POPSThe market for plug-in cars is fast approaching Very exciting stuff. This is no longer the talk of what's ifs and hypotheticals...it's reality and it's coming soon. In my opinion, the introduction of plug-in cars will be a major catalyst for the development of additional sources of energy - including more wind and solar generated. It will also be the tipping point for allocating the massive resources needed to upgrade our nation's power grid.
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POPSRole of Tattoos in Construction of Personal Identity "We continue to be struck by rapid and unpredictable change," Murray said. "Some theorists talk it about in terms of postmodernism, which is one way of saying that our culture has become fractured. Consumer culture reflects this situation, as consumers adapt to these changes by varying their lifestyle. They downshift, upgrade, change their hair, body, clothes, car, house, career, geographic location and even family. The result is a loss of personal anchors needed for identity. We found that tattoos provide this anchor. Their popularity reflects a need for stability, predictability, permanence and identity."
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POPSWhat Olympics leave behind: Police State 2.0 US companies, formerly forbidden from selling police tech to China, equipped 660 Chinese cities with spycam networks, under the guise of Olympics security. They'll find their real use after the Games move on.
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POPSElectric Sheep: Awesome Screensaver Homage to Philippe K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". It works when your computer is idle and download new "sheep" from the server. I downloaded it yesterday and have already a "flock" of sheep on my HD. Eye-catching, mind blowing fractal animations.
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POPSTop 10 Firefox 3 Features I have been using the Firefox 3 for awhile and I really like it.. It is noticeably faster than the old FF and lightyears faster than IE.
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POPSNotes on a Sick Planet The authors may reach a bit when they try to sound less square, likening the buying of compact fluorescent light bulbs to “an upgrade on your iTunes software.” But they make the science relevant and enjoyable with abundant visuals and conclude with some meaty ways for kids to make a difference. The old standbys are all there (switch light bulbs, recycle, use canvas bags at the grocery store). But I smiled on noticing something new: the authors suggest some “sustainable careers” kids can consider, like meteorologist and “glacial geologist.”